Play Scapes, Piedmont Park

Isamu Noguchi
1976

Slide from behind with swings in red to the left and the spiral slide to the right

Early in his career Noguchi designed his first playground, an attempt to conceive the playground as a sculptural landscape. The 1933 plan, as well as several other later designs for playgrounds, was never constructed. The only playground completed in Noguchi's lifetime was this one in Atlanta. Like his gardens, the playground is seen by Noguchi as a sculpture of spaces and an attempt at making sculpture a useful part of ordinary life.

Twin slide in red and black (left) and spiral slide (with detail)

Noguchi designed sculptural play equipment for all of his playground designs, including this spiral slide. His playgrounds provide a place of exploration rather than one of regimented play, telling the child what to do.